Orphan gene in Littorina: An unexpected role of symbionts in the host evolution.

Mechanisms of reproductive isolation between closely related sympatric species are of high evolutionary significance as they may function as initial drivers of speciation and protect species integrity afterwards. Proteins involved in the establishment of reproductive barriers often evolve fast and may be key players in cessation of gene flow between the incipient species. The five Atlantic Littorina (Neritrema) species represent a notable example of recent radiation. The geographic ranges of these young species largely overlap and the mechanisms of reproductive isolation are poorly understood. In this study, we performed a detailed analysis of the reproductive protein LOSP, previously identified in Littorina. We showed that this protein is evolutionary young and taxonomically restricted to the genus Littorina. It has high sequence variation both within and between Littorina species, which is compatible with its presumable role in the reproductive isolation. The strongest differences in the LOSP structure were detected between Littorina subgenera with distinctive repetitive motifs present exclusively in the Neritrema species, but not in L. littorea. Moreover, the sequence of these repetitive structural elements demonstrates a high homology with genetic elements of bacteria, identified as components of Littorina associated microbiomes. We suggest that these elements were acquired from a symbiotic bacterial donor via horizontal genetic transfer (HGT), which is indirectly confirmed by the presence of multiple transposable elements in the LOSP flanking and intronic regions. Furthermore, we hypothesize that this HGT-driven evolutionary innovation promoted LOSP function in reproductive isolation, which might be one of the factors determining the intensive cladogenesis in the Littorina (Neritrema) lineage in contrast to the anagenesis in the L. littorea clade.

Clinical features and long-term progression of reticular pseudodrusen in age-related macular degeneration: findings from a multicenter cohort.

PurposeTo determine whether reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) confer a long-term increased risk of progression to late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral wet-AMD.Patients and methodsThis was a multicenter, combined prospective and retrospective, longitudinal, observational, study. Patients with wet-AMD in one eye were recruited from two centers and evaluated on the risk of progression to late-AMD in the second eye (study eye). A minimum follow-up of 5 years was required, unless progression occurred first. Baseline retinal profile of patients was evaluated using multimodal imaging. Baseline images were graded by two separate centers.ResultsWe recruited 88 patients (48 female) with a mean age of 75.6±7.1 years and mean follow-up of 65.7±20.9 months. Baseline prevalence of RPD was 58% (n=51). There was no statistically significant association of RPD with increased age (P=0.29) or sex distribution (P=0.39). The most sensitive image modality for RPD was IR (93%), followed by FAF (92%), OCT (74%, RF (33%) and CFP (29%). After 5 years, 54.50% (n=48) of the study eyes progressed to late-AMD. Of those, 81.25% (n=39) developed CNV and 18.75% (n=9) geographic atrophy. After correcting for age and sex, the presence of RPD was significantly associated with development of late-stage AMD (OR=2.55, P=0.03).ConclusionA multimodal approach is mandatory for RPD detection. RPD are highly prevalent in the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral neovascular AMD. Presence of RPD is associated with increased long-term risk of progression, highlighting the importance of comprehensive multimodal retinal imaging and careful monitoring of at-risk patients.

Temporal SNR characteristics in segmented 3D-EPI at 7T.

Three-dimensional segmented echo planar imaging (3D-EPI) is a promising approach for high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging, as it provides an increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at similar temporal resolution to traditional multislice 2D-EPI readouts. Recently, the 3D-EPI technique has become more frequently used and it is important to better understand its implications for fMRI. In this study, the temporal SNR characteristics of 3D-EPI with varying numbers of segments are studied. It is shown that, in humans, the temporal variance increases with the number of segments used to form the EPI acquisition and that for segmented acquisitions, the maximum available temporal SNR is reduced compared to single shot acquisitions. This reduction with increased segmentation is not found in phantom data and thus likely due to physiological processes. When operating in the thermal noise dominated regime, fMRI experiments with a motor task revealed that the 3D variant outperforms the 2D-EPI in terms of temporal SNR and sensitivity to detect activated brain regions. Thus, the theoretical SNR advantage of a segmented 3D-EPI sequence for fMRI only exists in a low SNR situation. However, other advantages of 3D-EPI, such as the application of parallel imaging techniques in two dimensions and the low specific absorption rate requirements, may encourage the use of the 3D-EPI sequence for fMRI in situations with higher SNR.

A new technique associated with the evaporimetry method for evaluating occlusion.

The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin. It constitutes a permeability barrier that keeps micro-organisms and toxic agents from entering the skin, while retaining water and electrolytes. In order to preserve its colour and elasticity, the skin needs lipids and water. Certain occlusive products in contact with the skin diminish its natural transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the occlusion potential of such products can be evaluated with the aid of evaporimetry. The purpose of this work was to increase the sensitivity of the method by associating the well-established methodology for measuring TEWL with a technique for removing occlusive products from the skin. The present study was designed to evaluate the procedure of measuring TEWL evaporimetrically (the traditional method) in comparison with our new method, which employs the same evaporimetric measurement combined with a removal technique that uses cotton to remove the physical barrier that occlusive products form on the skin. The product used in this study was solid petrolatum (petroleum jelly), which possesses well-known occlusive properties. The TEWL measurements were made over a pre-defined period of time, on different skin sites, and were systematically compared with the results generated by an untreated control site. The TEWL was first determined by the classic method (without product removal), then the product was removed and new readings were taken. Our results show that the classic technique was unable to show a statistical distinction between the occlusion capability of solid petrolatum and the untreated control site, whereas this same method used in association with product removal provided a statistically significant difference between the TEWL measured on the occluded and control sites. Therefore, our removal technique associated with the traditional method for measuring TEWL proved capable of increasing the response sensitivity of evaporimetry with occlusive products.

[B-Lynch suture in post partum hemorrhage]. / Suturas de B-Lynch em hemorragia pos-parto.

Post partum hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. We describe a case of a woman with post partum hemorrhage due to uterine atony, successfully treated with B-Lynch suture. The authors review the causes and risk factors, and the range of medical and surgical options that may be considered for the management of post partum hemorrhage.

Intermolecular multiple quantum coherences at high magnetic field: the nonlinear regime.

Experiments have been carried at magnetic-field strengths of 9.4, 14.1, and 17.6 T to explore the evolution of intermolecular multiple quantum coherences in the nonlinear regime where the system evolves for times that are much greater than the characteristic time of action of the long-range dipolar field, tau(d). The results show the expected Bessel function form of the recorded signal as a function of time of evolution, with evident zeros and sign changes. As expected, the rate of signal evolution increases at higher-field strengths as a result of the increased equilibrium magnetization. A numerical method for calculating the evolution of magnetization under the action of the distant dipolar field, relaxation, and diffusion that is based on Fourier analysis of the magnetization distribution has been applied to the correlated two-dimensional spectroscopy revamped by asymmetric z-gradient echo detection sequence in the nonlinear regime and shown to produce results that are in good agreement with experimental data acquired at different magnetic fields and rates of spatial modulation. Experiments and simulations have also been used to explore the evolution of magnetization in a mixture of two interacting spin species in the nonlinear regime.

Optimizing the sequence parameters for double-quantum CRAZED imaging.

The evolution of magnetization during repeated application of the double-quantum-(DQ)-CRAZED sequence is analyzed, with the aim of identifying sequence parameters that maximize sensitivity to signal produced by the distant dipole field (DDF). Phase cycling schemes that allow cancellation of signals following undesired coherence pathways are also described. Simulations and imaging experiments carried out at 3 T on phantoms and the human head were used to verify the analysis. The results indicate that in the absence of phase cycling, the DDF-related signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) per unit time is maximized using TR=2.05 T1, along with values of the RF flip angles (alpha approximately 90 degrees and beta approximately 60 degrees ), and echo time (TE=T2) that have previously been shown to maximize the DDF-related signal at long TR. However, with TR=2.05 T1 there can also be a significant signal contribution due to stimulated echo effects (up to 40% of the signal for water at 3 T and TE=70 ms). Using a two-step phase cycle, the stimulated echo signal is eliminated and the maximum SNR per unit time occurs for TR=2.76 T1. It is also demonstrated that sensitivity to signal changes caused by small variations in T2 is maximized by setting TE=2T2.

Targeting of EGFP chimeras within chloroplasts.

We have tested the potential of EGFP, a derivative of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), as a passenger protein for the analysis of protein transport processes across the thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts. In contrast to the majority of fusion proteins commonly used in such studies, EGFP is not of plant origin and can therefore be assumed to behave like a "neutral" passenger protein that is unaffected by any internal plant regulatory circuits. Our in vitro transport experiments clearly demonstrate that EGFP is a suitable passenger protein that can be correctly targeted either to the stroma or to the thylakoid lumen if fused to the appropriate transit peptide. The transport of EGFP across the thylakoid membrane shows, however, a clear pathway preference. While the protein is efficiently targeted by the deltapH/TAT pathway, transport by the Sec pathway is barely detectable, either with isolated thylakoids or with intact chloroplasts. This pathway specificity suggests that EGFP is folded immediately after import into the chloroplast stroma, thus preventing further translocation across the thylakoid membrane by the Sec translocase. The data obtained provide a good basis for the development of molecular tools for transport studies using EGFP as a passenger protein. Furthermore, plant lines expressing corresponding EGFP chimeras are expected to allow in vivo studies on the transport and sorting mechanisms involved in the biogenesis of the chloroplast.

An upstream U-snRNA gene-like promoter is required for transcription of the Arabidopsis thaliana 7SL RNA gene.

The genes transcribed by RNA polymerase (pol) III can be placed into four distinct groups based on the nature and position of their promoter elements. In the higher eukaryotes equivalent genes usually belong to the same sub-type of pol III promoters and there are few examples of genes which have changed promoter type during evolution. In this work we demonstrate that the promoter of the Arabidopsis thaliana 7SL RNA gene is located upstream of the coding region and is identical to the promoters of pol III-specific plant U-small nuclear RNA (U-snRNA) genes. Sequence analysis of two different 7SL genes from A. thaliana revealed that both genes contain two sequence elements in their 5' flanking regions identical in sequence and position to the highly conserved USE and TATA elements of the pol III-transcribed plant U-snRNA genes. Mutational analysis of these elements in the At7SL-2 gene indicates that the USE and TATA elements are both necessary and account for > or = 90% of the transcriptional activity of this gene in transfected plant protoplasts. Within the coding region of both genes there is a sequence element which is a 10/11 nt match to the consensus B-box element of tRNA genes, however, this element is not important for gene activity. These findings distinguish the plant genes from the human 7SL gene, which has both internal and upstream promoter elements and its upstream elements are different from those found in the human U-snRNA genes.

[Relationship between the Steuart resistance index of the umbilical artery in non-pathologic pregnancy and the weight and ponderal index of the newborn]. / Relação entre o índice de resistência de Stuart na artéria umbilical na gravidez não patológica e o peso e índice ponderal do recém-nascido.

Umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry was performed at 28-32 and 36-38 weeks of gestation in a low risk population to correlate the Stuart's resistance index (Sistole/Diastole--S/D) to the weight and ponderal index of the newborn, and to determine the preditive value of S/D ratio greater than the 95 centil in the screening of newborns of weight or ponderal index lower than the 10 centil. Two hundred and eight two pregnant women were studied (146 at 28-32 weeks; 221 at 36-38 weeks) and Stuart Resistance Index was obtained by a continuous wave Doppler System. In both periods we had an inversely proportional correlation between the resistance index and the weight and ponderal index of the newborn; nevertheless the low sensibility and preditive value of the test shows that it should not be used as an isolated diagnostic tool to screen a low risk population for newborns with a low weight or low ponderal index.